Harebrained Schemes Planning BattleTech Kickstarter Campaign

The folks at HareBrained Schemes have sent us a press release to spread the word about their intention to launch a Kickstarter campaign for a turn-based RPG/strategy PC game based on the BattleTech franchise this Fall. The game will feature an “open-ended Mercenaries-style campaign” that will blend Mech and MechWarrior management with turn-based tactics, and promises to make full use of the setting’s complex feudal politics and intrigue.

Between this, the imminent release of Shadowrun: Hong Kong, Golem Arcana, and Necropolis (a 3D action roguelike), the folks at Harebrained Schemes are certainly keeping themselves busy, though, in some way, I imagine this Kickstarter campaign will be just as important as the one for Shadowrun Returns for many at the company, including CEO Jordan Weisman, an instrumental figure for the franchise. Most importantly, this is very good news for fans of the franchise and the studio, which has been making huge strides ever since it tried its hand at crowdfunding with Shadowrun Returns.

A website for the game is already up online, though it’s pretty sparse on the details for now. That said, I recommend keeping an eye on it for any further announcement, especially considering GenCon starts this week (something the developers were keen to remind us of). One thing we know for sure: attenders will be able to become early supporters of the project at Harebrained Schemes’ booth, and they will receive an exclusive BattleTech collectible as a reward. Materialistic, perhaps, but not terribly different from Kickstarter.